“Now to him that
is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret
since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the
prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to
all nations for the obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:25-26).

Paul stated that
his preaching of Christ is “according to the revelation of the mystery.”
Mystery truths are related to the gospel we preach in this age. There are some
elements of the mystery truth that are for the saints. (Ye in me and I
in you). There are also elements of the mystery for the unsaved to
hear: the mystery of the gospel. The message Paul preached was in
accordance with New Testament revelation and the mystery truths in
particular.

He did NOT
preach a gospel that was in accordance with the Old Testament revelation. Of
course in every age, salvation is always by grace through faith. However the
content of that which is to be believed changes with the progress of
revelation. Paul’s gospel presentation was very different (in content) than the
message Abraham believed (Gen. 15:6). Abraham believed the Lord when God told
him that his seed would be as numerous as the stars of heaven… and was justified
by faith because he believed. Paul did not command his listeners to believe that
their seed would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. The content of his
gospel message was very different from what Abraham believed.

It was also
different from what Jews living under Mosaic Law believed. They too were
justified by faith alone, but once saved they were expected to submit to the
Mosaic Law in order to maintain their fellowship with God. It was difficult for
first century Hebrew Christians to conceive of a message from God that did not
require adherence to the Mosaic Law.

Almost
immediately, the gospel of God’s grace was confronted by Judaizers who attempted
to put Gentile Christians under the yoke of the Law and insisted that “except ye
be circumcised ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Paul was outraged when he heard
this because he considered this to be “another gospel” (Gal. 1:6-9). Judaizers
also attempted to put believers under the law as a means of sanctification,
which also drew equally harsh criticism from the apostle Paul (Gal. 3:1-5;
5:1-12).

Paul’s gospel
presentation was not in accordance with that Old Testament revelation because
Paul’s message was based upon new revelation about Christ, unknown and
unknowable in the days of Abraham or Moses. Of course justification has always
been by faith apart from the works of the law (Gen. 15:6), but during the
dispensation of Law, the believing Jew was expected to obey the Law.

Paul’s gospel
offered Gentiles a right relationship to God (justification and
sanctification) totally apart from the Mosaic Law (Rom. 3:21; 10:4; Gal.
2:19-20; 3:1-4; Rom. 7:1-4). Paul’s gospel was not in accordance with the
dispensation of Law. The gospel Paul preached included truths NOT revealed in
the Old Testament. Of course certain FACTS of the gospel were revealed in
the Old Testament: the incarnation, death and resurrection of Messiah; etc. (Ps.
22; Isa. 53; etc.) The fact that Gentiles would partake of Millennial blessings
was clearly revealed in the Old Testament (Gen. 12:3; Isa. 2:1-4; 61:5-6).

But Paul
included other truths in his gospel presentation that were NOT revealed
in the Old Testament: First and foremost is the fact that Jews and Gentiles are
accepted on equal footing in Christ. This mystery truth is what the world
needs to hear, and it is made known “by the gospel” (Eph. 3:6). This truth was
not “in the Old concealed” or even partially revealed. It was NOT revealed at
all in ages past. According to Romans 16:26 this truth is to be made known to “all
nations.” Jews living under the Law were not sent with a message of good
news to “all nations.” Jews under the Law were separated from the Gentile
nations by a “wall of partition,” namely, the Law. The Law required Jews to
remain separate from the Gentiles (Deut. 7:1-6). The gospel of God’s grace is
different.

Paul’s gospel
was also different in scope and content than the gospel of the Kingdom
preached exclusively to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt. 10:5-7)
during the earthly ministry of Christ.

Thus, during the
dispensation of Law (including the gospel period) there was a huge difference
between Jew and Gentile. In contrast to that, the message Paul preached was
that “in Christ” there is no difference between Jew, Gentile, rich, poor, red,
yellow, black, and white - a message for the whole world! All are equally
accepted IN the Beloved on equal footing by faith. (Gal.3:28; Eph.1:6; 3:6).
These previously unrevealed truths were included in Paul’s gospel presentation,
and hence called the “mystery of the gospel.”

“My gospel
and the preaching of Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 16:25) Paul links together his
gospel message AND the preaching of Christ. “Preaching” in this passage is the
word for a proclamation. When Paul’s gospel was preached, it included a broader
proclamation of Jesus Christ. Kenneth Wuest has translated this expression as
follows: “according to my gospel, even the proclamation concerning
Jesus Christ.” In other words, in Paul’s mind, the gospel he preached WAS a
proclamation about Jesus Christ.

His gospel
preaching included much more than the three simple facts recorded in I
Corinthians 15:1-3: (1) Jesus died; (2) was buried; (3) and rose again. The
Gentiles to whom Paul was sent needed to hear much more than three facts before
they were ready to respond to the gospel. (Who was this Jesus? What is sin? Why
should I care? What if I reject Him? What if I can’t live up to God’s holy
standards? etc.) Boiling the gospel down to its lowest common denominator was
not on Paul’s radar screen. When he preached the gospel, he preached Christ. To
him, Christ IS the good news. Everything about Christ is good news. To him the
gospel “concerns His Son” (Rom. 1:2-3), and preaching Christ takes time.

“According
to the revelation of the mystery.” (Rom. 16:25)

Paul preached a
gospel which included preaching many other truths about Christ… His Person and
His finished work. His gospel preaching about Christ was “according to
revelation of the mystery.” In other words, as Paul preached the gospel, his
preaching was “according to” new revelation he received from the Risen Lord -
truths about Christ that were never revealed in ages past. This is not to say
that the sinner is required to understand and to be able to articulate
all these truths. Rather, Paul preached many things about Christ so that his
hearers would be able to make a more informed decision with respect to
the gospel.

The mystery of
the gospel is God’s message of salvation for the dispensation of the grace of
God. The mystery of the gospel thus includes revelation concerning positional
truth never revealed in ages past – a mystery element to the gospel. The
gospel includes information about what the sinner is delivered FROM: his old
position IN Adam (I Cor. 15:22) and thus delivered from Adam’s sin and
condemnation. There can be no good news until the sinner first understands the
bad news of his sin and its consequences - eternal condemnation. The gospel
includes information about what the sinner is delivered TO: the believing sinner
of this age is delivered TO Christ and His Body. The believing sinner of this
age is baptized into the church, the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). The
believing sinner of this age is brought into a new relationship to Christ
(Col. 1:27). (Christ in you). The believing sinner of this age is brought into
a new position in Christ (Eph. 2:6). The mystery of the gospel changes a
man’s position from IN Adam to IN Christ. Salvation also calls men OUT of the
world system (Eph. 2:12) and places him IN Christ (Eph.2:13; John 17:16). The
church (ἐκκλησία)
is an assembly
of “called out ones.” According to Acts 15:14, today God is visiting the
Gentiles to “take out” of them a people for His name. Gentiles are called out
of the world system and to Christ – a change of position.

Of course the
sinner isn’t expected to know all about positional truth, but he must know about
his position in sin and condemnation (which is not good news) and he must know
the good news – that he can have a new position of deliverance through faith in
Christ. Before a sinner is ready to respond to the gospel of God’s grace, it is
essential that he first understands his position IN Adam, namely, in
Adam’s sin and condemnation. The gospel is all about being delivered from
our old position IN Adam’s sin and condemnation and to a new position IN Christ
where there is no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). Paul included these truths
(sometimes referred to as positional truths) in his gospel presentation to
Gentiles. To make an informed decision the sinner needs to know what he is being
delivered FROM and what he is being delivered TO. Paul saw this truth as part of
his gospel – the mystery of the gospel. To Paul, preaching the gospel was
preaching Christ.

“Unto me, who am
less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” (Eph. 3:8)

The mystery of the gospelalso included
preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ among the Gentiles.
(Eph. 3:8). Paul’s gospel ministry included TEACHING many things about Christ.
Most Gentiles knew virtually nothing about Him. Paul’s proclamation of Christ
and the unsearchable riches in Him included much more than the basic facts of
the gospel as outlined in I Cor. 15:1-4.The
word “preach” in Ephesians 3:8 is “εὐαγγελίζω”
which means more than to make a proclamation. It means to announce the good news
– which in this case is the good news about Christ and all that He accomplished
on Calvary.When Paul evangelized the
Gentiles, he included in his gospel presentation truth about the unsearchable
riches IN Christ. He warned sinners that if they remained in unbelief
they would be condemned to the Lake of Fire. The sinner needs to know from
what he needs to be saved.But he also
encouraged them to believe by presenting this glorious position IN Christ
which could be theirs through faith: heaven and a taste of heaven on earth. The
gospel is good news: sinners need to know to what they need to be saved.

These new riches IN Christ Jesus (a new position IN
Christ) were never revealed before – but were included in Paul’s evangelization
of the Gentiles.Evidently when the apostle
Paul evangelized the lost, he did much more than quote John 3:16 - immediately
followed by an altar call. He wanted them to be as informed as possible
about the all-important decision he was challenging them to make concerning the
gospel - a decision which determines eternal destiny. He presented the Person
and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and taught many truths about Christ, the Body
of Christ, and our riches in Christ as well.This is the good news Paul preached “among the
Gentiles” (Eph.3:8)

“But if I tarry
long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the
truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (I Tim.
3:15-16)

The mystery of the gospel included revelation
referred to as the “mystery of godliness” (I Tim. 3:15-16).
The gospel message is the good news of salvation.
Keep in mind that salvation includes three
tenses: past (justification) present (sanctification) and future
(glorification). Of course the message of justification by faith is very
different from the message of sanctification by faith. One relates to BECOMING a
Christian, while the other relates to LIVING the Christian life.

But both are part of God’s overall plan of salvation
from sin.The gospel includes truth about
justification. But justification by faith was revealed in the Old
Testament (Gen. 15:6).The mystery of
the gospel also includes truths about sanctification which were
previously unrevealed – namely the mystery of godliness – God’s new plan
of sanctification in the age of grace (I Tim.3:15-16).

This is the truth of “God manifest in flesh.” It
speaks of Christ’s unique incarnation in the Body of Christ and members
in particular: Christ in you.

The mystery of the gospel includes the mystery
of godliness which enables believing Jews and Gentiles to walk in a newness of
life made possible because of the indwelling Christ and His Spirit. The good
news of the gospel of God’s grace in this age includes the fact that God
delivers us from sin and condemnation and also begins a wonderful work of
transforming us into His image the moment we are saved (Phil.1:6; II Cor. 3:18).The good news of the gospel is that all the work for
our deliverance from sin is complete. It includes deliverance from sin – past,
present, and future. Sinners (who are
enslaved to their sin nature) hearing the gospel for the first time
instinctively realize that they will never be able to live up to the heaven-high
standards of holiness. “Lordship” folks exacerbate the problem by making the
rigors of discipleship virtually a requirement for salvation, which potentially
turns people away from the gospel. In fact, the requirements of discipleship
are too hard for the sinner in his present position as a slave of sin. It is
probably a healthy sign that the sinner acknowledges his INABILITY. That should
cause him to realize his need for a Savior even more clearly.

Paul’s method of dealing with this issue was to
INFORM the sinner about the many things Christ has made available in this age.
In presenting the gospel, it is good to let the sinner know that if he trusts in
Christ, then Christ will dwell IN him and provide the power of the
resurrection to live the Christian life. A realization of his inability
should not turn the sinner away from the gospel; it should turn him TO Christ!

Thus, the sinner’s response to the gospel is simple:
Believe and be saved! The good news is that God saves us from the penalty of sin
and (once saved) He continues to save us from indwelling power of sin moment by
moment by faith. The sinner needs to know
that the issue of “living the life” is a completely different issue than “what
must I do to be saved.”The gospel message is
that Christ is the Savior. He will save you from the penalty of
sin if you trust Him. Once saved He is still
the Savior and will save you from the power of indwelling sin if you
continue to trust Him (Col.2:6). Deliverance from the power of indwelling
sin is possible because of the indwelling Christ. This is the mystery of
godliness and is integrally related to the mystery of the gospel – good news of
salvation from sin… past and present. William Gurnall
noted that “Christ in you” enables the believer “to live by Another's spirit, to
act from Another's strength, to live to Another's will, and aim at Another's
glory.” This is a new and unique heavenly lifestyle – unknown in ages past, but
an integral part of the mystery of the gospel today. It is all good news
related to deliverance from the power of sin.

Paul’s gospel preaching was not one quick fiery
sermon immediately followed by an emotional invitation. His method included
detailed teaching about Christ – His Person and His work. This requires time,
which explains why on several occasions after Paul preached Christ, the hearers
wanted to hear MORE (Acts 13:42-44; 17:2-3, 32; 18:4).

The mystery of the gospel is the good news of
God’s plan of salvation for believers of this age. As members of the Body of
Christ, both Jew and Gentile with equal privileges, are positioned IN Christ in
heavenly places and thus equipped to walk in NEWNESS of life. It includes the
good news of a new plan of godliness based on the fact that Christ is IN you.
This is all part of the mystery of the gospel. It is the good news of what God
has done to provide deliverance from sin (past, present, and future) for
all who believe in the dispensation of the grace of God.

“And for me,
that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make
known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that
therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” (Eph. 6:19-20)

Paul wanted believers to pray for him that he would
have the right words and boldness to “make known the mystery of the gospel.”
A few points should be noted here. First, Paul states that the good news that he
wants to make known includes “mystery” truths… truths previously not revealed.
Of course the basic facts of the gospel (death and resurrection of Christ) were
revealed in the Old Testament. But there are other truths that are called
“mysteries” and Paul considered them part of the good news he preached.

Secondly, Paul considered himself an ambassador of
the mystery of the gospel.

The term translated “ambassador” (πρεσβεύω)
means an elder statesman or a senior delegate who
serves as a representative or emissary. Paul spoke of himself and the other
apostles as ambassadors of Christ also in II Cor. 5:20. In that passage he noted
that as ambassadors they spoke for God, and yet at the same time, God was
speaking through them! (“as though God did beseech you by
us…”)As an ambassador for Christ, Paul wanted
to be that vessel through whom God’s message (the mystery of the gospel) was
proclaimed.He wanted to speak that message
boldly too.

Also of note is the fact that Paul was an ambassador in BONDS because of this
message: “for which I am in bonds”. It was because
of this message that Paul was imprisoned. In Acts 22, Paul was given the
opportunity to defend himself against false charges laid against him by the Jews
in Jerusalem. The Jews gave him great liberty to present his case and they
listened intently. He explained to them how he saw the Risen Savior on the road
to Damascus and shared his own conversion to Christianity. But when he mentioned
that God sent him to preach Messiah to the Gentiles (vs.21-22), the crowd
shouted that he was not worthy to live. Paul was imprisoned (in part) because of
the Jewish hatred of the Gentiles. Any message that put Jews and Gentiles on
equal footing was anathema to them – and this is a major tenet of the mystery of
the gospel (Eph. 3:6)! Paul was an ambassador to the Gentiles and preached new
revelation he received from the Risen Christ concerning the church – a Body of
believers in which there was no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Because of
that, Paul was “an ambassador in bonds.” The mystery of the gospel for which
Paul was in bonds included previously unrevealed truth that we do not always
associated with the gospel message today – but Paul did. The desire of the
apostle’s heart was that the mystery of the gospel not remain a mystery,
but that it be MADE KNOWN. That should be our desire as well.

The mystery of the gospel includes preaching Christ –
a theme much broader and more comprehensive than the quick gospel presentations
we are accustomed to hearing today which pressure people into making an instant
response. In part it is the “easy-believism” mentality that has driven many to
the Lordship position today. We all agree that “easy-believism” is a problem.
Their solution to the problem is to make the gospel harder by adding the
rigors of discipleship as requirements to salvation and redefining faith to
include submission, surrender, and even obedience.

A better solution to the easy-believism problem would
be to stick to the simplicity of the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 16:30-31) and
let the Lord separate the tares from the wheat (Matt. 13:27-30). In addition,
when presenting the gospel to those who have absolutely no knowledge or
background in the Bible, it may be necessary to take days, weeks, even months of
teaching (as opposed to minutes) before we expect a response. This suggestion
will not be popular with the altar call crowd, where mystery truths are
either ridiculed, ignored, or glossed over, but it takes time to accurately
present the “mystery of the gospel.” Things that are really worthwhile always
seem to take longer.

In summary, the mystery of the gospel Paul preached:

üincluded the essential facts of the
gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4)

üwas according to the new revelation of
the mystery (Rom. 16:25-26)

üincluded a comprehensive proclamation
of the Person and work of Jesus Christ (Rom. 16:25-26)

üincluded positional truth concerning
our lost position in Adam and a new position in Christ (I Cor. 15:22; Rom. 8:1)

üincluded positional truth concerning
the riches IN Christ (Eph.3:8)

üincluded teaching concerning the
mystery of godliness – salvation from the power of sin (I Tim.3:15-16)

üincluded a much broader understanding
of the gospel message than a few quick facts